The Trial
by Aggie Escott
Summary: Aaron/Spence centric. Mild slash and mega whumps for the boys! Spencer has to give evidence at a capital trial. Please R&R.Thanks Luvvies xx
1. TakeAway

The Trial

Chapter 1

Take-Away

_**John McClane asked, "Why does this keep on happening to us?"**_

Aaron held Spencer close to him, one hand in his hair, the other around his waist. Spence leaned on him, his head against Aaron's shoulder, his hands pressing his bare back. Aaron had his head tilted forwards, his lips against Spencer's hair while Erasure played softly in the background. They had started by moving to the music, but now they stood still in the centre of the room clinging onto each other, rocking to the beat, breathing in the other's scent, feeling the warmth of their closeness.

"Sweetheart, this is perfect." Aaron kissed Spencer gently, Spence held him tighter. He pulled back and looked into his eyes. "I still can't believe we have this. I still expect to wake up."

Spencer reached up and touched Aaron's lips with his finger tips. "You won't Love. This is for real."

Spencer drew Aaron to the couch, and they sat down. Aaron held Spence's face in his hands, and drew him closer. He brushed his lips softly against Spencer's, and pulled him close against his body. They held each other as the music played on.

Aaron pulled away, and stroked Spencer's face with the back of his hand.

"Spence, are you ok with Monday? You've not talked about it."

"I'm fine. I've not given evidence at a capital trial before, but it shouldn't be any different to any other trial. If I just stick to what I know, I'll be fine." Spencer smiled. "You will be there, though, won't you?"

Aaron nodded. "Sure, I'll be there." He stood up. "I'll get us something to eat."

"Where from?" said Spence. "You're not thinking of...erm...cooking, are you?"

"I thought I might..." Aaron bit his lip.

"Let's go out and get something." Spencer stood up, grinning. He picked up his money and put it in this pocket, and took Aaron's hand. "Come on, Babe."

Aaron pulled on his tee shirt, and Spence grabbed his.

The night was bright with a full moon, and they decided to walk to the shop. Hand in hand they went down the drive towards the road. There were no lights, but the moonlight lit the way with silvery fingers through the trees on either side of the drive.

"Let's run, Aaron!" Spence said, pulling Him along after him. Aaron started to laugh, trying to keep up. He was glad when they reached the road. Although he was healed from the pelvic injury, sometimes it hurt when he ran. Spence let go of his hand, and Aaron leaned forward with his hands on his knees. Spence put his arm around his waist.

"You ok Babe?" Spence leaned forward and looked up at Aaron. "Sorry, I forgot it hurts you doesn't it?"

Aaron smiled. "No, it's ok." He straightened. "Let's get some food."

The Take-Away was about a mile down the lane at the edge of town. As they walked, Aaron squeezed Spencer's hand tighter.

"We're being followed, Sweetheart."

"Just keep walking."

Then Aaron felt an arm around his neck. He let go of Spencer's hand and grabbed at the arm. Spencer swung round in time to get a fist in his mouth. He staggered back against the wall, unable to move for a moment as shock stunned him. Aaron was fighting to get the assailant from his back. Spencer stepped forward towards Aaron.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Someone grabbed Spencer's arm and swung him round, hitting him across the stomach with something he couldn't see. Spencer doubled up, and Aaron saw the base ball bat come down on the back of Spencer's head, and he went down.

Aaron tried to call out to him but the arm around his neck was tightening, and Aaron was starting to feel light headed. With all the strength he elbowed his attacker in the belly. The pressure on his neck was immediately loosened as the man fell to the ground. Aaron began to turn round to face him, when he was pushed against the wall, his face impacting with the hard stone. He felt blood run down over his lips. Some one was holding his arms. He struggled to escape, but he was being held fast. His assailants turned him round, and faced him.

"My money is in my back pocket." Aaron said, spitting blood from his mouth. "Just take it!"

"We don't want your money, we want you!"

Aaron tried to pull his arms away, to fight these men holding him. "What do you want with me?"

His question was ignored. Aaron struggled in the grip of the two men. "Tell me what you want!"

"Shut up, dammit!" One of them punched Aaron in the face. His head jerked to the side, he groaned as blood sprayed from his mouth across his assailant's face. It ran down Aaron's chin, and dripped onto his shirt.

Someone got hold of Aaron's hair at the front. He pulled his head forward, and cracked it back against the wall. Aaron let out a cry of pain and heard his skull splinter. His vision blurred and as his head impacted the wall again, he tried to look for Spencer. He was conscious of warm blood soaking the back of his tee shirt. The third time his head was cracked on the wall, he lost consciousness, and hung in the grip of the two men.

-0-0-0-

Spencer became conscious of self as he awoke. He tried to move but he felt as if his head would explode. He groaned and raised his hand to his head, and it came away bloody. Very slowly Spencer sat up and leaned against the wall.

"Aaron, Babe? Are you ok?" He looked round for him in the moonlight. "Aaron?"

Spencer rubbed at his eyes, his vision still blurred from the crack on the head. He couldn't concentrate, he thought he was going to faint.

"Aaron! Where are you?" he said softly. He felt sick and dizzy. He took his phone out of his pocket, and speed dialled Morgan.

"Morgan, we need your help..." The phone slipped from his fingers, and he fainted.

-0-0-0-

"Reid, Reid, wake up!"

Spencer opened his eyes, and looked up at Morgan.

"Derek, where's Aaron?" Spencer said. "I couldn't see him."

"Aaron isn't here, Reid. What happened?"

"We were attacked, Derek. Someone hit me, and attacked Aaron. He must be here!"

"I'll call an ambulance, Reid."

"No! Help me up. I need to find Aaron. He was here."

Morgan helped Spencer to his feet. For a moment, Spencer leaned on the wall to get his bearings back. Then he looked around.

"Where is he?"

Morgan looked around, shining his torch onto the pavement. "There's blood here." He moved the beam up the wall, and they saw a darker patch on the stonework. Derek touched it with his fingers. "There is more blood here."

The patch of blood where Aaron's head had been hit against the wall was sticky and shiny, strands of dark hair was caught in the stone work, and streams of blood ran down the wall and pooled at the base.

"Oh god, Morgan. Where is he?"

Morgan was on his phone to Rossi. "Dave, we've got a problem."

Spencer sat on the pavement, head in his hands. How could this be happening to them again? Why couldn't they just leave them alone? Morgan came and sat beside him.

"He's not here, Reid. I've called the CSU, and they are going to process the scene, but from what I can see, the UnSubs have taken Hotch with them."

Spencer looked at Morgan in confusion. Morgan put his arm round Spencer's shoulders. "Whatever's happened, we'll find out soon enough."

Morgan was worried. The only reason he could think of why they would have taken Hotch, was if they'd killed him. He felt sick, thinking of what they had done to him. He so hoped he was wrong. He pulled Spencer closer, and Spencer leaned on him.


	2. Ransom

Chapter 2

Ransom

"_**We who live in prison, and in whose lives there is no event but sorrow, have to measure time by throbs of pain, and the record of bitter moments." Oscar Wilde**_

When Aaron woke up, he was lying prone and almost naked on rough cut boards. His arms were not restrained, which was something; they were under his body, crossed under his chest. He could hear voices, but they were muffled, and he couldn't hear what was being said. His head was to one side, and he opened his eyes to take in his surroundings. He was facing a wall constructed of similar rough cut wood. He turned his head with difficulty, to look the other way. Blood had dried in his hair and on his face where it had pooled around him and dried on the floor. His skin pulled as he unstuck his face from the wooden floor. As he looked in the other direction, he felt a primeval dread deeper than he had ever felt before.

-0-0-0-

Spencer and Derek sat in the police station, and Spencer tried to give a description of the UnSub to the sketch artist.

"There were four of them." he said, "but I only saw one." Spencer closed his eyes and tried to conjure up an image of the man who attacked him. "All I really saw was that he was white, clean shaven and about my height."

The cop looked irritated. This kid was meant to be FBI, and this was the best he could do? "What was he wearing, Dr Reid? Maybe you can remember that."

"Dark clothes, blue I think. Button down collar." He looked at the cop. "White buttons." He looked back down at his hands, twisting in his lap. "I'm sorry. I really didn't see." Spencer felt a horrible scared feeling well up inside him. He felt so useless. Morgan thought Spencer was on the verge of tears.

"Look, don't you think he would tell you if he could remember." Morgan said. "Hotch was Dr Reid's closest friend."

The cop nodded. "You might as well go home. We can contact you if we need any more information. Don't leave town."

Spencer got annoyed. "We are the victims here." he said. "I don't appreciate being treated like an UnSub. The man who has bee kidnapped is a Federal Agent!"

"We cannot be sure he has been kidnapped yet."

Morgan put an arm across Reid's shoulder. "C'mon Kid. It's best we go." He guided Spencer out of the interview room, and back down the corridor.

As the door swung closed behind them, he heard the cop mutter, "Damned Feds. Think they run the place..."

-0-0-0-

Aaron stopped breathing in fright. The wall the other side of him was inches away from his face, and he realised he was in a box. He panicked and kicked at the sides, and pulled his hands out from under him. Punching at the sides of the box, he shouted out to the voices.

"Let me out! For god's sake, don't do this!" The sides of his hands were starting to bleed on the rough wood, and he felt his body start to shake in terror. Suddenly the box moved, and he heard a scraping sound as it was dragged across the ground. He kicked and punched and screamed, as he felt the box being lowered.

_Oh god. They are burying me alive! Oh god no! No please, not that! Please, somebody! Help me! Oh god...Oh god help me!..._

The sound of soil being layered on top of the box was too much. He lost control completely as he fought against the walls enclosing him. Tears of fright welled in his eyes and he kicked with bare feet on the sides of the box. The tiny amount of light filtering through the cracks between the boards was now cut off, and Aaron was lying in total darkness in his tiny prison. He collapsed exhausted, trying to understand what was happening to him. His breathing was fast and shallow, and he could feel his heart beating through his body. He knew he had broken the skin on his feet and hands, and he felt splinters of wood catching the skin of his chest, abdomen and legs. He tried to turn over onto his back, but the height of the box was less than his shoulder width and it was not possible. His body started to shake as the full realisation of what had been done to him hit home. He opened his mouth and screamed into the darkness engulfing him. He screamed until his throat hurt, and then he screamed some more.

-0-0-0-

Morgan drove Spencer home, and Spencer asked him to come in with him.

"Please, have a coffee with me, Derek. I don't want to be alone right now."

Derek walked to the front door with Spencer, and saw the envelope nailed to the door first.

"I'll get some gloves and bags." he said, racing back to the car. Spencer unlocked the door and stood in the hall, staring at the envelope. Was it some kind of ransom note? About Aaron?

Morgan was back. He carefully pulled the nail from the wood and put it in an evidence bag. The envelope was addressed to Dr Reid. He noticed it was of the self stick kind, so there would be no DNA. He slid a key under the flap and opened it, and carefully slid out the note. He unfolded it and held it up so that they could both read it.

_by now you will realise that we have your lover here with us. on monday you are due to give evidence in court against my client. since his guilt or innocence will rest on your evidence you will tell the court that you were mistaken in your analysis and that the defendant is not guilty. your lover has air enough to last until then. when my client is released then so will your lover be released. if my client is found guilty then your lover will die. these instructions are to be followed if you want to see Hotchner again._

"They want me to perjure myself." said Spencer. "I can't do that." He pushed his hand into his hair and pulled at it. "But they've got Aaron. I have to..."

Morgan put the note in an evidence bag and sealed it.

"We need to get this down to the police." said Morgan. "They might be able to get something from it."

Spencer tried to profile the note. "Cheap paper, printed on a standard ink jet printer. He's used no capital letters, although he has used punctuation, so the lack of capitalisation is likely deliberate, to show unimportance." He glanced at Morgan. "He is saying that Aaron isn't important." Spencer felt a shiver pass down his spine. "Sentence structure indicated a level of education. He refers to the defendant as his 'client'."

"I think we need to have a chat with him, he might have something to do with it." He noticed tears in the corner of Spencer's eyes. "It's ok, Genius. We'll find him."

Spencer carried on as they left the house and got back in the car. "He speaks of Aaron's air supply being limited, so he's not just being kept in a room anywhere. He's being held in a sealed room. That should help us find him."

Morgan drove away from the 'Castle' back towards the town.

-0-0-0-

Aaron had stopped screaming, and was lying still in the box trying not to hyperventilate. He knew he had to conserve air. He felt around his prison to see if he had been left any water. His throat was sore and he needed a drink. In the corner of the box his hands found a small knife. He gripped it in his palm, wondering why they had allowed him to have this. And then he realised. It was his way out. His only way out. If this got too much, he could use it on his wrists. He began to shake again. They had no intention of freeing him. He was being left to die. The knife dropped from his trembling hands and he began to cry with terror.

_Please, I can't die here. Oh god no! _

In state of dread, he forced himself up so that his back was against the top of the box. The wooden casket creaked, and puffs of dirt fell through the planks. He stopped abruptly, sense returning to his mind. Desperately trying to keep control, he lay still, steadying his breathing. He closed his eyes, and thought of Spence.


	3. Tracking

Chapter 3

Tracking

"_**There is no greater hell than to be a prisoner of fear." - Ben Jonson**_

Reid and Rossi were standing in Judge Farron's chambers.

"There would be no advantage in changing the trial date." said Spencer at Farron's suggestion. "Agent Hotchner only has air to last until Monday evening. If Scarson isn't released on Monday, Agent Hotchner will be killed."

"Anything done to fix the outcome of the trial will either be perjury on your part, or actively negotiating with terrorists on mine, neither of which scenario's am I willing to contemplate. I am very sorry for your predicament, Dr Reid, but nothing has changed." Farron pressed his lips together in a gesture of annoyance. "Can you imagine what would happen to our justice system if we gave way this once? It would be the end of our fair judicial order that is admired the world over. It cannot be done."

Rossi noticed Reid's hands were clenched. "Thank you for seeing us, Your Honour." he said, and bowed his head slightly. He led Reid outside.

"Reid, he is right. It amounts to negotiating with terrorists." Spence was about to say something, when Rossi held up his hand. "We have forty eight hours to find him, Reid. Call the team together. We need all our resources on this one."

-0-0-0-

"We need Scarson's known associates, Garcia." said Rossi. "Whoever is doing this is someone to whom Scarson is important."

Garcia leaned sideways so Rossi could see the computer. "Six known associates. I'll get their last known addresses." Her fingers flew over the keyboard. "One deceased, two serving time. Leaves three." She tore a sheet off the printer and handed it to Rossi. "Sir, I really want to help with this."

"You are helping, Garcia." he answered. "I want you to dig into these known associates, find out everything you can on them, in case these three don't pan out."

She nodded and turned back to her screens. It always felt personal when it was one of their own.

Rossi was back in the conference room. He gave Reid and Morgan a name each.

"Prentiss, go with Reid, JJ with Morgan. Check them out, and meet back here."

They hurried out of the bullpen on their assignments.

-0-0-0-

Aaron was trying not to freak out in his confined incarceration. He went over in his mind the UnSubs he could remember, trying to work out who and why, but he came up with nothing. Why this? He would be laying thinking and fear would engulf him again, and his body would shake and his breathing become laboured. He had no idea how long he had been down here. Although he had been left a watch on his wrist, he couldn't see it. He was very thirsty. He licked his dry lips, but it made no difference. His first priority was not to panic, although he was in a permanent state of dread. He ran his fingers over the sides and base of the box as far as he could reach to see if he could find any loose boards, but again, nothing. He clenched his fists and punched at the walls in frustration and fear.

"No! No no oh god! Please, help me!" he cried. Aaron's frantic hammering slowed as he started to cry and he rested his face on his arms to protect his skin from the rough wood. He sobbed into his hands. "Please...help me..."

-0-0-0-

Spencer and Emily knocked on the door of the trailer. A grey faced woman in her thirties with black druggy rings around her eyes eventually came to the door. Emily took the call.

"Good morning." she said, showing her iD. "I am Emily Prentiss, and this is Dr Reid. We are with the FBI, and we are trying to trace Brian Bamber. This is his last known address. Are you able to tell us where he is?"

"You're trying to trace him? You and me both. He cleared off and left me with his kid. If I knew where the hell he was, I'd go there and kill the bastard."

"How long ago did he leave, Miss...er..." Reid said.

"Coming up to a year." the woman said. "Ten months."

"Do you ever remember him mentioning the name Josh Scarson?" asked Emily.

"That murdering SOB? I thought you had him? They used to be close, Josh used to come here sometimes for poker. But not in the last six months before Brian cleared off." She started to close the door.

"Please can we have your name?"

"No." and the door was closed.

Reid and Prentiss sat in the car. "It's not likely to be him. Not if he left the local area fourteen months ago."

"You're probably right, Reid." Emily said, starting the car. "Let's get back and see what the others have found out"

-0-0-0-

Morgan and JJ weren't having any more success. Their address took them to a run down apartment block on the edge of town. With the lift broken, they had to climb the stairs to the eighth floor, avoiding bags of rubbish, and miscellaneous dirty nappies strewn across the landings. Most of the lights were out.

JJ tried not to say anything, but when she trod on a dirty nappy, she couldn't help it.

"Oh this is so disgusting!" she shrieked.

"One more floor, JJ!" Morgan put his hand out and helped her step over the mess.

There was no door on the apartment for them to knock on. Morgan stepped inside.

"There's no-one here." he said. "and there hasn't been for a long time."

They came out of the apartment and knocked on the next door. The woman who answered the door was waiting for a 'customer' and was surprised when she spotted JJ.

"Oh." she said, obvious disappointment in her voice when Morgan introduced himself. "Pity. They got the Feds busting hookers now?"

"We are looking for the man who used to live next door." said JJ. "Tony O'Halloran."

"Oh the Irishmanh. He's long gone. He moved out about a week before they kicked his door in." She closed her eyes in an effort to remember. "Gotta be a year, at least."

Morgan said, "Thank you Miss." and they turned to leave.

"Hey gorgeous, ain't ya gonna cuff me and haul my ass downtown?"

"You should be so lucky." JJ murmured. Morgan laughed.

-0-0-0-

Rossi struck out too. The guy he was following up had been clean for coming up to eighteen months, and was married with a baby son. His home was clean and neat, and his wife was plain, but obviously not a user or a hooker. The family had no association with the old life. Johnny Masefield had turned his life around. Rossi thought he should be proud of the achievement. It wasn't easy.

He headed back to the BAU. The sun was going down. Aaron had been missing for twenty two hours. He hoped the others had come up with something.

-0-0-0

Aaron hadn't moved for a while now. His mouth was dry, and the screaming hadn't helped. He had no water, and didn't understand how he was still getting air, although the air he had was stale and thin. He drew as much into his lungs as he could, but there was not enough oxygen. His head was hurting from the bashing he had been given, and he felt dizzy, through dehydration. He tried to move, but he could only stay prone, unable to lift his head more than a few inches. His feet touched the bottom of the box, and his hair brushed the top. He ad about an inch either side of his shoulders. He didn't know if his eyes were open or closed. He just lay still in blood and body fluids, in what was to become his coffin, and whimpered.

_Come for me Spencey, where are you? Help me, oh god, please, ...oh help me!..._

He felt around for the knife, and felt the blade with his thumb. He stuck the point into the palm of his hand and felt the blood. It was a good feeling. He pushed his other hand under his body and rested the blade on his wrist. He wished he could see what he was doing as he pushed the point into the flesh of his right wrist.

No. It wasn't time yet. He let the knife fall from his fingers. He wouldn't do this. Even though the UnSub, whoever it was, couldn't see him, in Aaron's mind he would be giving him satisfaction. Aaron still had enough pride left.

Then he could hear speaking. Suddenly there were people in his tiny space. He pressed his hands to his ears.

"Go away!" he croaked, his throat sore and dry, his tongue sticky in his mouth. "Please, leave me alone...let me die in peace!"

The voices laughed at his pathetic efforts. They laughed at his weak and useless whimpering. They prodded and poked at his scraped and splintered skin, shrieked with excitement as he tried to pull away from them.

"Go! Don't touch me!" a broken rasping cry as he rocked himself from side to side. "Please, please, let me die in peace!"

Aaron pressed himself against one wall, as far from the voices as he could get, and he clutched at his hair and pulled. He begged the voices.

"Please...just help me..."


	4. Reminder

Chapter 4

Reminder

_**  
**_**A/N – This chapter is dedicated to my dear sweet Spencer-loving sister PanicButton**

Rossi had sent everyone home to shower and freshen up. They didn't have any time to sleep, but often a shower had the same effect. Spencer was still in the clothes he had been wearing when he and Aaron had been attacked, apart from changing into a shirt that he kept in his drawer at the BAU. He drove the Volvo up the drive to the Castle. As he walked to the front door, he looked up at the house. He and Aaron could have so much here. They only had a day left to find him, unless he lied under oath. The Judge was right of course. It was the entire judicial system against the life of one man. Men had been sacrificed for less. But Spencer didn't think he could be the one to sacrifice Aaron. His stomach knotted in fear. He had rested his hopes on finding Aaron on time, but now half the time had gone, and they were no nearer to finding him, and Monday was creeping ever closer.

_Aaron, Babe, I don't know what I am going to do. Please forgive me, my Love...I am so sorry..._

He put the key in the door, and opened it. As he stepped inside, a hand on his back pushed him into the hall. It was so unexpected, he fell forwards onto his face. He turned over to see who was there, but he could only see a silhouette against the light from the door. The hall was in darkness. Spencer reached down for his gun, but it was kicked out of his hand. Then the door was slammed closed.

"Who are you? What do..."

Silently, the UnSub leaned forwards, and grabbed hold of the front of Spencer's shirt, and pulled him to his feet. Without a word, he bent down and picked up Spencer's gun, turned him round and pressed it into the small of his back. The other hand was entwined in his hair, pulling his head slightly back. Spencer raised his hands as he was pushed towards the stairs.

"Who are..."

A vicious yank to his hair cut him off mid sentence. He couldn't see where he was going now, and he stumbled on the first step. As he fell, his hair pulled harder, and he yelped as for a moment, his weight was on his hair.

He pulled himself up by the balustrade, and continued up the stairs, the gun still in his back. Neither spoke.

Spencer was shoved into the bedroom, and he fell face down on the bed. The light was switched on, and hands on his shoulders pulled him back, and turned him round again to face the UnSub. He was wearing a black ski mask, and non-descript black tee shirt and jeans. Again, hands took hold of his hair, and he was lifted up off the bed. The only sounds were Spencer's cry of pain as the man hit him on the cheek. Spencer felt his tooth crack, and blood sprayed from his mouth onto the white bed covers.

Spencer's hand went to his mouth, shocked surprise registering on his soft wide eyes.

"Wha..."

Again, he was not allowed to speak. He was pulled up, and this time the fist hit him under the jaw. He bit in to his tongue, and blood ran from the corner of his mouth. He rolled onto his front, and tried to crawl across the bed, blood dripping and pooling on the quilt.

An iron grip caught his ankle and pulled him back. He clawed at the bed, trying to hold the bed post, but the UnSub was stronger, yanking him hard, and swung him off the bed and against the wall, face first. A twist to his shoulder, and a fist to the abdomen, and Spencer fell to the floor, bleeding heavily from his mouth and nose, onto the floor boards.

Struggling to get up, he pulled himself onto his hands and knees. He screamed as a booted foot kicked him in the groin. He fell sideways, coughing and whimpering; he curled up, trying to protect himself.

Still the UnSub didn't speak. Spencer's eyes watered and his breaths came in pain filled gasps.

Strong hands pulled him up and leaned him against the wall. One hand around his neck, the other beating his face with the gun butt. Each blow sent blood spray onto the UnSub, and onto the bed. Spencer felt his lips split and his mouth fill with blood. His head was spinning, and his eyes were losing focus.

_Who are you? What do you want?..._

Suddenly, the grip around his neck was released, and he crumpled to the floor with a soft cry. He turned his head shakily, as the UnSub grabbed his right wrist and held his hand against the wall. Spencer felt the cold barrel of the gun against his palm, and the agony as the UnSub pulled the trigger, and shot through his hand into the wall. Spencer mercifully blacked out, and lay bleeding and battered on the floor.

-0-0-0-

"Reid's not back yet, and he's not answering his cell." Morgan said, concern in his voice.

"Have you tried his home phone?" asked Dave, getting worried himself now.

Morgan nodded. "I'll take a drive over there, just to make sure he's ok."

"Take Emily with you then." Rossi turned back to his notes. "We'll wait for you."

Morgan and Emily hurried out to the car. "I don't like this. He should have been back ages ago."

As usual, Morgan drove way too fast. Emily held onto the dash with one hand and the door handle with the other. She was unsure why. It wouldn't help in an accident, but somehow it gave her a sense of security. She considered asking Morgan to slow down, but decided against it. She doubted if he was capable of doing so.

He pulled onto the drive behind Spencer's Volvo. They could see one of the lights were on upstairs.

"Well, he's still here, then." Emily said, taking her gun out of the holster.

The two of them crept up to the front door. It was slightly open. Morgan kicked it wide. The hall was in darkness. Emily reached out, feeling for the switch. As light flooded the room, they couldn't see any signs of disturbance.

"Reid!...Spencer!"

There was no answer. One by one, they cleared each downstairs room. There was no-one there, and still no sign of disturbance.

Upstairs they again checked each room, ending up standing outside the master bedroom. The door was closed, but this was the room with the light on. Morgan tried the door. Locked.

"Stand back." Derek said to Emily. He stepped back and kicked the door. It took two hefty kicks before the oak door crashed forwards, broken from the hinges.

For a split second, they stood frozen. The white covers on the bed were sprayed with blood, across the bed and up the wall. Then they saw Spencer lying on his side at the end of the bed where he had fallen, a hole in the wall just above him, blood running down the wall onto the floor. Emily ran to his side, checking his pulse, and turning him onto his back. Spencer groaned as Emily moved him.

"Reid, it's Emily and Derek. Who did this to you?"

"D-don't know...mask..."

"Ok, don't try to talk, Reid, we'll clean you up Do you need an ambulance?"

Reid shook his head carefully. "...am ok."

Morgan was in the bathroom getting towels and water. Emily helped Reid sit and lean on the wall. She called the PD to come and process the room while she waited for Morgan.

Very gently, she cleaned the blood from Spencer's face and brushed his hair back.

"You need to see a doctor for your hand, Reid." she said, bandaging it with a length of towelling.

Spencer shook his head agaim. "No doctor. I've got work to do."

They heard Morgan shout from downstairs.

"You guys, get down here. You need to see this."

Spencer put his arm around Emily's shoulder, and she helped him to his feet. Slowly, together they started down stairs. Halfway down, they stopped, looking across the hall towards the front door.

"Oh my god!" Emily breathed. Spencer's heart quickened.

Across the wall, written in paint, were the words, 'REMEMBER HOTCHNER'.

-0-0-0-

"_**If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten" George Carlin  
**_


	5. Another Day

Chapter 5

Another day

"_**It is not because other people are dead that our affection for them grows faint, it is because we ourselves are dying.**__**" Marcel Proust**___

Aaron lay against the side of the box whimpering and moaning in the darkness. It had got very cold, and he shivered and he felt ice on the sides of the box where his breath had frozen, and patches of blood were thick and cold where it had settled around his chest. His breathing was light, and he couldn't feel his heart beating any more.

The voices were shouting at him all at once and he couldn't hear what they were saying. He couldn't block them out, and they wouldn't stop. He begged and pleaded, but they ignored him, making fun of his terror. He kicked at the side of his prison, tearing the skin of his feet and knees. He forced his elbows back against the wood, splinters embedding themselves into his arms and hands. He gripped handfuls of hair and pulled it and tore at his scalp. He could control that. It was his to do, and his to control. He pulled hair out at the roots and felt blood run down his face.

He cried out at the voices that only seemed to be there to torment him, but instead of words, he made distressed sounds through clenched teeth, rolling his head and hitting it against the walls. Speech was no longer possible, his tongue swollen and stuck to his palate. His limbs shook and he had no control, and Aaron forgot everything except the world in the box and nothing else existed except the misery and suffering and there were no other sounds except the voices and Aaron cried and his body twitched and shuddered and his mind screamed and his throat made a keening sound in rhythm with the banging of his head.

Six feet above him the sun was going down on the second day, reflecting honey gold and blood red off the atmosphere, and white clouds outlined in purple drifted aimlessly and the sounds of fear and distress were lost in the space between.

-0-0-0-

"When you have been checked out, you can come back to work, and not before." Rossi was adamant that Reid see a doctor. "I'll drive you. Come on now."

Reid and Rossi left in an SUV. Morgan, Emily and JJ stayed at the BAU with Garcia. Again and again they read through the information they had gathered, but there didn't seem to be anything that would help them find Hotch. When Rossi and Reid returned two hours later, they hadn't moved any further forward.

"Hey, Kid, what they say?" Morgan asked with concern. Although all the team was involved in this, Spence was carrying the heaviest load. In little over ten hours, Spence was going to have to give his evidence.

"Mild concussion, bruised ribs," He held up his hand. "Stitches. Nothing really."

Rossi put his hand on his shoulder. "I need to talk to you privately, Reid."

Spencer followed him into his office, and sat down opposite him.

"I can't imagine what you are going through Reid." Rossi looked straight into Reid's eyes. "I understand that Aaron is far more than a colleague to you. I need to know what you are going to say in court tomorrow."

Spencer felt tears in his eyes as he took the first step towards betraying the man he loved above everything. He had always known this was likely going to happen, but hearing his own voice say it was like pulling the trigger against Aaron's head. He felt sick saying it.

"I will be under oath, Rossi. I will tell the truth."

There. He'd said it. Condemned Aaron to death by his own words.

_Aaron, forgive me..._

Tears streamed down his face. Rossi passed him a tissue, and said, "Join us when you are ready, Reid." and left him to recover himself.

Spencer sat alone in Rossi's office with his hands pressed into his eyes. He wanted to cry and wail and mourn, but he was working. There was still time to find him.

He went over the evidence in his mind. Whoever had Aaron was keeping him somewhere sealed, where they could control his air. He tried to think what that could be.

An air tight room. A food storage place? A refrigeration room? A medical facility? Research labs? Somewhere underground?

Thinking was difficult, when all he could think of was Aaron being held somewhere and his own words would free or condemn him.

He wiped his tears off his face, and left the office. He needed to join with the others to work with them. He opened the door of the conference room, and his friend looked up at him, concern and love in their eyes. He sat down and told the team his idea.

"Garcia," Rossi said, "Find any information you can on that." She was on her feet and leaving the room, so glad she had something constructive.

Rossi turned to Reid. "You need to go and have a sleep, Reid."

"I'm ok, I..."

"You need to sleep, Reid. You are in court in a few hours."

Spencer looked at Rossi, clearly upset. He stood and left the room without looking back, and went to the lounge. He sat on one of the couches and lay down. He wouldn't be able to sleep, but he closed his eyes, and went through the evidence again. The next thing he knew he was being shaken awake by Morgan.

"Hey kid, time to wake up. You're in court in an hour and a half."

"Have you got anything else, Derek?"

"Garcia has come up with a few leads. The others are following them up. I'm staying with you."

Spencer got to his feet shakily. He knew what he had to do. Joshua Scarson was an unrepentant murderer. If he was back on the streets, more people would die.

"Derek, I am about to condemn Aaron to death. I can't even ask his forgiveness. How am I going to do this? Where am I going to get the strength?"

Morgan felt a deep empathy for Spencer. He knew the depth of love that Spencer and Aaron had, and he wasn't sure if he could do the right thing if he was in that position. He put his arms around Spencer and hugged him tightly.

"I know you will do the right thing, Kid. I'll be here for you every step of the way. You are not alone here."

Spencer pressed his face into Morgan's chest, wondering if he would ever be close like this to Aaron again.

_Oh god, Aaron. Please forgive me. I am so sorry...Please, I am so very sorry, Aaron..._

-0-0-0-

The voices had stopped, and Aaron suddenly felt alone.

He cried out to them, for them to come back, but they had left him. Aaron's head was hurting. Each time it hit the side of the box, he wanted to scream, but his mouth and throat were too dry to make coherent sounds, so he made sounds of distress and fear through his teeth, pulling at his hair, scratching at his face. His finger nails were torn, several ripped out as he had tried to claw his way out of the box. His muscles suddenly went into spasms, and his body seized. As the convulsion controlled his body, scraping his back against the rough wood of the box, and his limbs tried to straighten in the small space, his head was flung back, and the wound on the back of his head began to bleed again. Bands around his chest tightened, and his breathing became painful and shallow. The seizure abated, but his limbs continued to twitch and they went into spasms, his hot dry skin tearing on the rough surface.

Aaron's eyes felt dry and gritty and rolling upward. He wanted to cry out, scream for help, but the sound he made was a heard breaking soft mewling. He vomited and retched from and empty stomach. He no longer had any awareness of self as he threw his head back against the side of the box and passed out.


	6. Evidence

Chapter 6

Evidence

"_**There is no witness so terrible, no accuser so powerful as conscience which dwells within us." - Sophocles**_

As Derek and Spencer walked into the court house, Reid's name was being called. Morgan followed Spencer through the doors into the court room and sat in the gallery while Spencer was led to the witness box. Morgan could see how pale Spencer was, even more than usual. The dark shadows around his eyes looked black against the white of his face. As he affirmed his oath, his voice shook.

And so it began. "Please state your name for the record."

Morgan watched as Spencer began to give his evidence. Spencer leaned forwards, holding the wooden bar. His hands were shaking as the time to utter the words of betrayal got closer. Images of Aaron flashed before him, and in his heart, he cried for him.

"What is your specialist skill with regards to your evidence today? And please explain what this is"

"I have an eidetic memory." he said. "This means that I can recall anything that I have ever read or seen in writing with perfect accuracy."

"And are you prepared to demonstrate this skill for the court."

"Yes Your Honour."

"Please show the witness exhibit 14."

A book was taken from the exhibit table and shown to Spencer. "Do you recognise this book?"

"Yes, it is the book I was given to read two weeks ago for the purpose of this demonstration. " He turned the book over. "I have signed my name on the back cover." He gave the book back to the clerk, who took it to the Judge.

"I am now going to open the book at random." He opened the book. "Dr Reid, please tell me what paragraph two on page eighty six says."

Spencer closed his eyes briefly, and began to recite the paragraph verbatim. The Judge nodded. "That is perfectly accurate." he said, and passed the book to the clerk. "Please show the book to the jury."

The Counsel for the prosecution stood up. "Dr Reid, please tell the court how you came to have the injuries to your face and hand."

In a trembling voice, Spencer explained what had happened the previous day, and the threats that had been received. As he gave an account of Aaron's kidnapping, his stomach knotted, and his heart raced.

-0-0-0-

Garcia re-read her computer screen. She picked up her phone and called the conference room. "I think I might have something."

Rossi Prentiss and JJ ran across the walkway to Garcia's bunker.

"What have you found, Garcia?" Rossi was leaning on her chair, looking at her screen.

"The known associate of Joshua Scarson who is listed as deceased, well, he might not be!" she turned to face her colleagues. "No body was ever recovered. Nate Hudson allegedly died when his car drove into the river. But the car was recovered empty. It was assumed that his body was washed away."

"So he could have faked his death!" Rossi immediately became animated. "What do we have on him?"

She turned back to her screen. "We have a last known address, and also the address of his girlfriend. She moved to Boston after the inquest."

"Then that's where we are going then." Rossi said."We'll take the jet." As the remaining three team members left the office, Rossi called Morgan.

Morgan felt his phone vibrate, and took it from his pocket in annoyance. Spencer was in the middle of giving his evidence, and Morgan really didn't want to leave the court house right at that moment. But when he saw the call was from Rossi, he hurried out of the court room and took the call in the corridor.

Rossi was calling him back to the BAU. They had a promising lead to follow up, and he was needed. He had no way to let Spencer know, so he wrote a quick note for him, and asked a security officer to give it to Spencer when he had finished. He ran to the car and as he drove away from the court house, he thought about the trauma Spencer was going through.

_Go, Spence, Kiddo. You know what is the right thing to do. You know Hotch would want you to be truthful. Do what is right!_

But as he drove, he wondered how Spencer would deal with the aftermath.

-0-0-0-

"And so Dr Reid, can you tell the court the wording of the letter that you saw, which was subsequently allegedly destroyed by the defendant."

Spencer read back the letter from memory, but his mind was elsewhere. He glanced across to where Morgan had been sitting, and was distraught to see that he was no longer sitting there. He suddenly felt faint, and he swayed and grabbed hold of the bar to stop him falling. He reached for the glass of water that was on the side next to him, and raised it to his lips with trembling fingers.

"Dr Reid, do you wish to sit down to give the rest of your evidence?"

Judge Farron's voice seemed far away and muffled. Spencer looked towards the Judge. The water slipped from his hand, and he heard the distant sound of glass breaking. His eyes rolled upwards, and before anyone could reach him, Spencer collapsed onto the floor

The Judge called for medics to help Spencer, and called for a recess.

"We will resume in an hour." Judge Farron swept out of the court room, as Spencer was carried out by the medics.

-0-0-0-

"Dr Reid, are you alright?"

Spencer's eyes flickered open, and he tried to sit up. "What happened?"

"You fainted, Doctor. Drink this."

Spencer took the cup of water from the medic's hand, and sipped it. "I think I would like to go outside for some air before I go back in."

The medic helped him to his feet, and held his arm and they walked to the door. "How long do we have?"

The medic opened the door, and they stepped out into the sun. Before he could answer Reid, the gunshot split the air. The bullet hit Spencer in the chest and his eyes widened in shock, his hand went to his chest, and he looked at the blood on his finger in surprise. The medic didn't see what had happened, and as Spencer fell, he reached his hand out to steady him. Spencer collapsed onto his knees and fell forwards onto the paving with a sigh. The medic knelt down beside him, and carefully turned him over. There was a growing blood stain on the left of his chest. Spencer was breathing quickly and blood was beginning to show at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh my god, he's been shot!" He pulled back Reid's shirt, and put pressure on the hole in his chest.

"Dr Reid? Dr Reid!" He looked up as a security guard ran out of the building. "Inform the court, and call an ambulance please. Dr Reid has been shot."

The medic lifted Spencer's head onto his lap. "Stay with me, Dr Reid. You are going to be fine. Just stay with me."

Spencer was lifting his head, trying to speak. The medic leaned closer.

"P-please...tell Aaron...tell him...I'm s-sorry..." He started to cough, and blood ran from his mouth and into his hair. "I'm so...s...sorry...Aaron..."

In the distance, a siren wailed as the ambulance got closer. Spencer stared up at the medic, who took Spencer's hand in both of his and held them tightly.

"The ambulance will be here soon. Hang on, Dr Reid, and stay with me now."

The sounds of the siren was closer now, Spencer could hear it, but he couldn't hold on. Colours seemed to get brighter then they faded to grey as his eyes lost focus. There was so much he wanted to say, but his lips no longer were able to form words.

_Aaron...where ever you are, Babe...please forgive me..._

The medic watched as Spencer's eyes stopped focusing and closed. His head rested back onto his lap, and the medic felt Spencer's hand go limp as he lost consciousness. He saw a single tear forming in Spencer's eyes, and it broke away and ran slowly down the side of his face.


	7. Last Chance

Chapter 7

Last Chance

"_**Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival." - Winston Churchill **_

The house where Nate Hudson's girlfriend lived was an ugly concrete edifice in a field miles from anywhere. The flat uninspiring rocky environs seemed to go on forever. There was nowhere to conceal the SUV, so Rossi drove it right up to the door.

"Morgan and JJ, round the back, Prentiss, we'll take the front."

There was no point in covering their arrival; they would have been seen while they were still miles off. Morgan and JJ ran round the back of the house. They could hear Rossi hammering on the door and identifying themselves. Morgan saw a curtain move in an upstairs window, and at the same moment, a man ran out of the back door and ran across what would have been a garden in a past life. Morgan and JJ raised their weapons.

"Nate Hudson, freeze! FBI!"

There was no cover for any of them. Morgan and JJ threw themselves to the ground as Hudson turned as he ran, and fired at them. The first shot went wide. He fired again, and the bullet kicked up dust on the ground in front of them. Nate continued to run, firing at the same time. Morgan shouted to him again.

"Hudson, FBI! Lower your weapon."

Hudson showed no sign of complying. Rossi and Prentiss rounded the corner of the house, and quickly ducked back again. Rossi ran across the stony ground towards Morgan, his body bent, drawing fire. Hudson turned his weapon on Rossi and lined up to shoot. Morgan aimed at the man's leg, and fired. Hudson chose that moment to kneel in a firing position, and Morgan's bullet hit Nate Hudson in the side of his rib cage, straight into his chest. The gun dropped from dead fingers and Hudson fell back onto the ground, dust rising around him.

"Crap!" Morgan yelled. "Son of a bitch! I didn't want to kill him!"

Rossi was the first to reach him. He kicked the gun away, knelt down and felt for a pulse. But the man was obviously dead. Blood was oozing from the entry wound, and running from his mouth. His eyes were open and he was staring at nothing.

Morgan stood over him, his gun hanging from his hand, the other hand on his forehead.

"Shit. Son of a ..."

A shriek behind them made them all turn around. A woman was running from the house towards the body lying in the dirt.

"You killed him! You bastards!"

Morgan caught hold of her before she could reach the body of her boyfriend. She struggled and kicked him in her effort to get away. Morgan held her fast until she sunk her teeth into his arm and drew blood. He yelped and his grip loosened. She ducked out of his grasp, and was stopped when Emily swung a punch to the woman's face. She sat in the dirt, stunned for a moment. Emily rubbed at her hand.

"We are going to need to have a heart to heart with you." Morgan said, pulling her up and swinging her around while Rossi cuffed her hands behind her. Rossi and Morgan pulled her into the house, Emily and JJ following.

-0-0-0-

Spencer was being loaded into an ambulance. He had been intubated at the scene, and the heart monitor attached to his chest. There was no exit wound, so the bullet was lodged somewhere in his chest, near his heart. They were most worried about aortic bleed. If the bullet had severed the aorta, he would have bled out by now. But sometimes the damage was a small tear, just leaking a small amount of blood into the chest cavity. But damage like that could break at any time, and then he would die in seconds. For the moment, the ventilator kept his lungs working. But they needed to get him into theatre asap.

"Is there no-one to travel with him?" the paramedic asked the gathering crowd.

"He had a friend here," a security guard stepped forwards. "He left a note for me to give to Dr Reid when he came out of the witness stand." He held the note out to the paramedic, who took the note, and slipped it into his pocket. He would call the friend later if he could find the number. He hoped that Dr Reid had a mobile on him, with a name listed to match the note.

"Thank you. I'll see that he gets it." adding in his mind, _if he makes it..._

-0-0-0-

They pushed the woman into a chair. Rossi stood behind her, Morgan in front. JJ and Emily stood by the door.

"A Federal Agent has been kidnapped. We believe that Nate Hudson was involved." Morgan crouched down to her level. "We need to find the missing agent quickly. If you know anything, and do not give us information that you know will lead us to him, you are making yourself an accessory to murder."

With fury and rage on her eyes, she spat in Morgan's face. "I will never help you, murderer. One more fed off the street can only be a good thing!"

Morgan resisted the urge to hit her. He pulled her to her feet and marched her into the kitchen where he cuffed her to a pipe.

"Ok," Rossi said. "Search the place. Prentiss and I will check the grounds."

Morgan's mobile rang, and he snatched it out of his pocket. It was probably Reid, telling him that he had finished giving evidence. He was surprised when it came up as 'number unknown'.

"Morgan."

He stood and listened, the others waiting to hear. Morgan reached for a chair and sat down.

"Oh god...oh no!...ok, thank you."

He closed his phone and looked at the others, shocked and stunned.

"It's Reid." he said. "He was shot by a sniper outside the court house. It's touch and go. The bullet is lodged near his heart, and he's got less than an even chance."

Emily paled. "Oh god."

"Let's get this search done then, and we can get back to him." Rossi said. " Aaron is our first priority. Reid is being taken care of."

They sprang into action, searching the house and grounds. Hotch was being held somewhere air tight, so there was a limit to the places where he could be held. JJ went down into the basement, gun drawn, tense and anxious. There was a freezer in the corner. She crossed to it and undid a catch that was holding it closed. She opened it and pushed the lid back against the wall. It was empty. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or not. She slammed the lid down, and continued her search. She felt her mobile vibrate. Emily.

"Get out here, JJ. We've got something!"

Emily's voice was shaking. "What is it, Em."

"Just get out here, Jayj."

JJ snapped her phone closed, running outside to where Prentiss was kneeling. "What is it, Em...oh my god! No!"

The patch of ground in front of JJ was freshly dug in the stony ground, and there was a narrow rubber tube lying in the top. Emily was tearfully digging with her bare hands.

"Rossi and Morgan have gone to find something to dig with." she said. JJ knelt down and began to pick up handfuls of stones and dirt.

The men came back with two shovels. The women stood back as the men dug into the soil. Emily wiped tears away, leaving a dirty smear across her face. She reached out for JJ's hand, and they stood numb with shock as the men dug.

Frantically, they worked, the grave got deeper. They stepped into the hole, and dug, sweat pouring off them as they worked their way down. At one point, Morgan paused to pull his shirt off. Then at last, Rossi's shovel hit something hard.

"I've got it!" he said, but his voice had lost that positive note. They knelt and pushed the remaining stones and soil from the top of the box. Morgan was speaking to Hotch under his breath.

"We're here, Hotch. Hold on, we're here..."

The lid of the box had been screwed shut, and it was not easy to remove it. But Morgan wedged the blade of his shovel into the gap around the top and levered down. The wood creaked and split and the lid was raised. Morgan stared in shock, as Rossi bent down and reached in to Aaron.


	8. Finding Aaron

Chapter 8

Finding Aaron

"_**We are healed from suffering only by experiencing it to the full."**__** Marcel Proust**_

Rossi felt for a pulse on Aaron's neck. He felt afraid for him. He looked as if he had been buried alive for all the time he had been missing. He couldn't imagine the terror that Aaron had been put through. He had been supplied with air through the tube, but he didn't know how long ago it had been removed. As he touched Aaron's neck, he prayed that they weren't too late.

"Can't find a pulse, Derek. Help me get him out of here!"

Morgan carefully helped Rossi turn Aaron onto his back. What he saw made him feel sick. Aaron was naked except for his underwear, and most of his exposed skin was cut and bloodied from contact with the rough sides of the box in which he had spent most of three days. The back of his head was a tangle of clotted blood and hair, and his face was bleeding and torn again from the rough wood, and there was a deep bleeding gash on his forehead. Blood had run from his hair line where he had ripped handfuls of hair from his scalp, and dug his finger nails into the skin of his face. But the worst was his hands. The tips of his fingers were ripped of skin, and several of his finger nails had been torn away leaving bloody stumps with which he had frantically scratched at the lid of the box. Stuck in the drying blood of his fingers were tufts of dark hair with skin still attached, which he had ripped out in his terror and fear. His skin was dry and hot, and looked thin and papery and fragile. His dry mouth was slightly open, his eyes wide open showing huge dark pupils, a masque of pure terror..

"Get us something to lay him on!" shouted Rossi, and the women took off their coats and laid them down on the ground next to the pit. Rossi took Aaron's shoulders, and Morgan carefully slipped his arm beneath his knees. Gently, they lifted the injured and dying man out of the pit, and laid him on the coats.

"I'll get some water!" JJ said, running back to the house.

"Oh my god!" Emily gently lifted his hand and held it in hers. "He's so hot, David."

"Dehydration. " Rossi knelt down and tried again to find a pulse. "He's alive, but if he doesn't get water, he'll die quickly."

JJ returned with water and a sponge. She dripped a little onto his cracked and bloody lips. He didn't respond. She carefully washed the blood and mess from his face and neck, and washed his broken hands.

"The ambulance is on its way." said Emily, sliding her phone into her pocket.. She knelt next to JJ, and stroked Aaron's hair. She was almost afraid to touch him, his skin felt so thin and fragile, brittle with the loss of moisture. She wondered if he could ever recover physically. But the mental damage could be far reaching. It broke her heart to see how the man she admired had been brought down so low.

_Hotch, please be ok. We will be with you at every step of your recovery, but please, take the steps. Please don't die, Hotch..._

She thought of Spencer, so far away fighting for his life. To lose either one of her closest friends would be such a tragedy, but how would either be able to live on alone? Emily knew the depth of their love, and she wasn't sure that either could continue to live without the other. She lifted his lifeless hand and held it to her cheek.

"Come on, Sir. You've got to make it!"

Morgan just stood and watched, not knowing what to do. Hotch looked dead. Rossi had found a pulse, but Morgan was terrified that he would die while they stood and did nothing. He and Rossi watched the ambulance approach in the distance, as it drove at speed along the dusty road.

-0-0-0-

It was going to be a long and difficult operation. The scan showed that the bullet was right next to the heart, beneath the aortic arch, and it was going to take all the skill of the surgeon to pull him through. Spencer hadn't regained consciousness since being brought in.

The surgeon switched on the CD player – The Planet Suite played, starting with Jupiter, The Bringer of Joy. He hoped it was prophetic. He cut down Spencer's chest and applied the sternum spreader to expose the beating heart. In the background the monitors beeped away seconds of his life over the sound of Holst, as the bullet was carefully removed. He held it up for the OR team to see, a two inch deadly piece of metal. He dropped it into the tray for the police, and went on to repair a tiny tear to the aorta on the underside of the arch.

"I don't know how this man didn't die." he said. "The bullet was touching the heart, and nicked the aorta. A millimetre either way, and he wouldn't have made it."

"BP dropping!" the anaesthetist yelled. "V-Fib!"

"Charge paddles at 20!"

The paddles were handed to the surgeon who inserted them into Spencer's chest cavity, holding his fibrillating heart. A slight buzz as they discharged through the cardiac muscle, and to everyone's relief, sinus rhythm was restored. The surgeon said nothing and handed the paddles back to the OR nurse. The tension in the OR was palpable, as they watched the cardiac monitor rise.

After a breath holding few seconds that felt very much longer, the surgeon removed the sternum spreader, and allowed the rib cage to move back into position.

He nodded at his assistant. "You close please. I will be in the building for another hour. Page me if there are any significant developments."

He left the OR, removing his mask as he went.

-0-0-0-

In another hospital in another city, Aaron was being wheeled into the ER.

He had three friends with him, Morgan had returned to Quantico to be with Spencer. One, Dave Rossi, travelled with him in the ambulance. Emily and JJ followed in the SUV. Rossi held Aaron's ripped and broken hands gently in his as they rushed through the streets of Boston. He didn't speak. He really didn't know what to say. But he held tight, showing Aaron that he was safe and with friends.

Aaron had suffered convulsions in the ambulance, and Rossi had been shocked at the violence of the seizures. He had tried to pull out the drips from his wrists. The paramedics had set up rapid infusers to each arm to try to rehydrate him before he suffered brain damage. He had lost almost ten percent of his fluids, often proving fatal. They put isotonic drops in his eyes and taped his eyelids closed to prevent his eyes from drying out, and wet inside his mouth and nose. They had begun to remove the splinters and shreds of wood that were sticking in his skin, before they became septic, cleaning the skin with antiseptic.

As yet, the fluid replacement therapy hadn't made a difference. He lay unmoving, catatonic while they took blood for U&E and blood glucose. They replaced the saline and antibiotic drips, and added glucose when the blood test showed his glucose was low, despite his being dehydrated. The Lambdoid Suture on the back of his head had been repaired, and the skin stitched. Everything possible had been done, but the man lay as still as death in the ICU.

As the fluids in his body were reaching a normal level, his skin began to lose the fragile papery texture, and his face filled out again. They tried various stimuli, untaping his eyes at one point and shone lights to try to make him respond, but there was nothing.

He was started on Benzodiazepines therapy, with a 2mg injection of lorazepam as soon as his U&E's were in the normal range.

They waited expectantly for the response.


	9. Reunion

Chapter 9

Reunion

_**Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero. Marc Brown**_

Spencer felt a hand in his as awareness returned. His chest hurt like hell and he had an almighty headache. He forced his eyes open and stared at the pale green ceiling.

"Hey Kiddo!"...Morgan's voice!

Carefully, trying not to disturb the fragile equilibrium in his head, he turned to face him.

"Derek!" His voice was barely audible. Morgan smiled.

"Welcome back."

"What ...h-happened? Is ...the t-trial over?" Spencer lifted his hand to his mouth. "Thirsty."

Morgan poured water from a bottle into a cup, and lifted Spencer's head so he could drink. He lay his head back down.

"Thanks...why am ...I here?"

"You were shot with a .223, probably from an AR15. Outside the court house. We thought we were going to lose you, Spence."

"Because of the trial? Did I give evidence? I can't remember!" Spencer felt a painful clenching in his stomach. "Oh god! Aaron! Have you found him?" He tried to sit up. He had every intention of getting out of bed.

Morgan gently pushed Spence back down. "You can't go anywhere, Spence. You've just had a bullet removed from your chest."

Spencer looked at Morgan Fearfully. "He's dead, isn't he?" His eyes filled with tears.

Morgan put his hand on Spencer's arm. "I don't know, Kid. He was alive when we found him. Rossi, Em and JJ are with him. He's in Boston. Spence, I'll go and make a call." He could see how frightened Spencer was. "You must prepare for the worst. He might not have made it."

Spencer sucked in his bottom lip and bit down. He remembered that he had intended to tell the truth in the trial, even at the risk of Aaron being executed. But he always felt that they would find him in time. What made this so terrifying is that he couldn't remember any of it. He could only presume that he had told the truth, otherwise, why shoot him. His mind was running in circles. He wiped the tears from his eyes and cheeks and waited for Morgan to come back. As Morgan came back through the door, he watched his body language carefully, but he wasn't giving anything away.

"He's alive, Spence. But there is a lot of damage. Psychological damage."

"What did they do to him, Derek? Has he been hurt?"

Derek sat down again and took Spencer's hand again. "Spence, they put him in a coffin sized box and screwed the lid down. Then they buried the box under six feet of earth with no water or light for three days." Morgan squeezed Spencer's hand. "I'm sorry, Kid. He was seriously dehydrated. They have got his fluid balance backup, but he's suffering from catalepsy. They can't wake him. He's totally unresponsive."

Spencer was filled with horror as Morgan told him of the dreadful ordeal that Aaron had been through.

"I've got to get there, Derek. Please, Arrange for a transfer to Boston. I have to go to him. I need to look after him." He pushed Morgan's hand out of the way. "He needs me."

-0-0-0-

The lorazepam hadn't helped. Aaron had his eyes open, and he was sitting in a chair. But only because he was put there. If a cup was placed in his hand he would drink, and if food was placed in his mouth he ate it. The only time he made a sound was if the light was turned out, and he would scream and throw his arms about as he relived the terrors of being locked away again. Every so often a tear would form at the corner of his eyes and run down his face in response to an unknown relived trauma that couldn't be shared

Every half hour, a nurse came in and checked his obs, and blood was taken for U&E's and sugar. He allowed the phlebotomist to take his arm and draw blood. He stared straight ahead. He had isotonic drops put in his eyes, and blinked when he was asked.

Emily, JJ and Rossi took it in turns to sit with him, but they couldn't break through to him. It was heart breaking to watch. Emily held is hands in hers and talked to him, but there was no response, and on several occasions she had to leave him as she sought out her friend and cried on her shoulder.

-0-0-0-

Spencer was desperate to get out of the bed. After a day on his back he insisted on getting up. He asked Morgan to arrange a flight to Boston, and he threatened to discharge himself from the hospital unless they arranged a transfer to Boston General Hospital.

"It is not advisable for you to be travelling so soon after a serious and life threatening operation like you have had. If there is an emergency on the plane, for example if you have an aortic aneurism or bleed, there will be no-one to save you. You will die." The doctor hoped that he could scare Reid into staying. But he needed to go to Aaron.

"If I had an aortic aneurism here in the hospital, what would be the odds of survival?" Spencer asked as a counter argument, knowing that the prognosis was poor, and he had backed the doctor into a corner. The doctor sighed, and went outside to speak to Morgan. Maybe he could talk some sense into Reid.

While they were talking, Spencer got dressed in his cords and tee shirt, and threw the rest of his things into a hospital carrier bag.

The one concession Morgan insisted on was that Spencer borrow a wheel chair.

"I don't want you aneurimising while I'm looking after you!"

Spencer signed the transfer forms removing all responsibility for Spencer's life from the doctors until he arrived at Boston, and Morgan wheeled Spencer out to the waiting taxi.

When they got on the plane, Spencer sat by a window, watching the lights in the towns and villages slip by below him. He thought of the people who lived there, and their simple safe lives; going to work, coming home at five, going shopping, watching TV. They didn't get shot and beaten, buried in tiny boxes and sent over the edge. He tried to imagine himself and Aaron living in a little house with a garden and a dog and a job stacking shelves in Walmart.

_Please would you direct me to the gravy granules – yes Sir, third aisle, second section on the right..._

It wouldn't work. He and Aaron thrived on the knowledge that their job was important, and the thrill of catching an UnSub made all the heartache worth while.

Or at least, that was how they had been trained to think. But as the fear of seeing what Hudson and Scarson had done to Aaron got stronger with every mile that passed under him, he was beginning to doubt the very reason he had joined the FBI in the first place.

And if he thought it would help Aaron, he would give up his future in the FBI tomorrow.

The plane was coming in to land. He tightened the seat belt, and sat back. He realised that the anticipation of seeing Aaron again was making him shake. The last time he had seen him was near their home, with an UnSub's arm around Aaron's neck. He was afraid of what he would see, but he knew whatever it was, he would never give up on him.

_I'm coming for you, Babe. I'm nearly there with you..._

Morgan had rented an SUV, and it was waiting in the car hire lot at Logan International. Spencer was wheeled across the concourse and Morgan left him by the pick-up point while he went to collect the car. With Spencer strapped in the front, and the chair folded in the back, Morgan drove to the hospital.

Spencer sat with his head back on the head rest, the anticipation and nervousness making him feel a little sick. He felt his breathing becoming uneven, as if he had been crying, and he felt his heart beat too fast. He concentrated on calming down. Now was not a good time to have a panic attack. The hospital lights up ahead made Spencer sit forward on the edge of his seat, and when Morgan stopped in the 'No Parking' zone by the main doors, it was all he could do not to leap out of the car and run inside. He waited patiently as Morgan took the chair out of the back and unfold it next to Spencer's door.

They decided to take Spencer to Aaron before booking him in. Spencer needed to be with Aaron right away. They went up in the lift and Spencer noticed he had been rubbing his hands up and down the arm rests, and his fingers were getting sore. He could feel his heart banging in his chest, feelings of anxiety overwhelming him. Morgan stopped the lift.

"Reid, calm down. " He knelt in front of the chair, and took his hands. "Breathe steadily, Kid, or you will end up in Intensive Care."

Spencer knew he was right. He closed his eyes, and took some deep steadying breaths. His heart slowed, and Morgan started the lift again.

A nurse directed them to Aaron's room, after checking who they were.

"We are very glad you are here, Dr Reid." she said. "We have done everything we could for your friend. But I think it's you he needs."

She led them to Aaron's room. "He's alone right now."

"I'd like to go in on my own, if that's ok." Spencer said. Morgan nodded.

"I'll be right out here if you need me." Morgan said. "Just call."

Spencer nodded, and stood up out of the chair. The anxiety and excitement was making him shake, and he opened the door to Aaron's room quickly, before Morgan noticed and made him wait.

He closed the door behind him, and leaned on it.

Aaron was sitting on his bed. He wasn't moving, his large dark eyes blank and staring, his bandaged hands down by his side. Tears ran down his cheek as he wandered alone through his own personal hell.

Spencer Put his arms around him, and held him tight. "I don't know if you can hear me, Babe, but I'm here with you now, and I won't leave you." He kissed his cheek, and brushed his untidy hair out of his eyes. He pressed his face in Aaron's hair. "I'm going to be here and get you better, Love." He sat on the bed next to him, and pulled him against him, tilting Aaron's head to rest on his shoulder, a hand in his hair, the other around his chest.

Softly, gently, he rocked him.


	10. First of Many

Chapter 10

First of Many

"_**Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, it's what you are expected to give--which is everything." - Vittorio Alfieri**_

Spencer sat with Aaron for the rest of the evening. The rest of the team popped in from time to time, but they left them alone most of the time.

Spencer refused the offer of a private ward, and a bed was wheeled into Aaron's room for Spencer.

"You really should be in the ICU." the nurse had told him when she came in to make up the bed.

"I can't leave him, he needs me." he answered. "I would not be able to rest if I was away from him. We'll both get better quicker if we are together"

"Mr Hotchner is a very lucky man to have such loyal friends." she said. "I am going to bring him some food, Dr Reid. Would you try to get him to eat?"

Spencer was stroking Aaron's hair, Aaron's head resting on his shoulder. "Yeah. I'll do that."

She smiled at them , and went to get a sandwich. She left it on the table and left them together. Spencer opened the packet and showed it to Aaron.

"Ok, Babe, I want you to eat this for me." He broke off a bite size piece and put it in Aaron's mouth. Aaron chewed and swallowed, but his expression didn't change. His eyes didn't focus, and the tears didn't stop. Spencer wanted to cry for him, but he knew that Aaron's future probably depended on Spencer at the moment; he couldn't allow himself the luxury of falling apart.

When he had eaten, Spencer put a carton of orange in Aaron's hand, and he drank it. Spencer gently wiped his mouth.

"I am going to give you a bath now, Sweetheart. You stay here while I get it ready." Spencer kissed Aaron on the mouth, but again there was no response, his mouth slightly open, eyes wide and frightened. Spencer went to the en-suite, and ran a bath. There were different bottles of toiletries on the shelf. Spencer chose an antiseptic body wash. He had seen how his body seemed to be covered in cuts, and he wanted to make sure they were clean, especially those on his back, the new skin barely had had time to take. When the bath was ready, he went back to Aaron, who hadn't moved.

Very carefully, Spencer removed the bandages on Aaron's hands. "I'll redress them after." he said. "Can you stand up for me?"

Obediently, Aaron stood up, and Spencer carefully removed his hospital jacket. Gently he touched the cuts and splinters that covered his upper body.

"Oh, Aaron. What have they done to you?" He felt tears come to his eyes. He put his arms around him, and held him close, his head on Aaron's shoulder.

He looked up into the beautiful dark eyes and felt a lump in his throat. He stepped away from him and took his hand. "Come on, Sweetheart, let's get you sorted."

There was a knock on the door. Morgan.

"Spencer, we're going to book into an hotel." He glanced at the second bed in the room. "You staying here?"

Spencer nodded. "Yeah, I'm staying."

"Well be careful. You know you need caring for too."

"I'll be fine, Derek. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Morgan inclined his head and closed the door. Spencer took Aaron's hand again.

"Most of the team are here, Aaron. They'll be back tomorrow."

He led Aaron into the bathroom, and closed and locked the door.

"I'm going to finish undressing you, Babe, don't be alarmed."

Spencer undid the button on Aaron's trousers, and they fell to the floor. Spencer checked the water temperature, and led Aaron to the side. He sat him on the edge of the bath, and helped him to lift his legs into the water.

"Now, sit in the water, Sweetie."

Submissively, Aaron sat in the water; Spencer took a sponge, and gently washed his skin, blood and tiny flakes of wood washing into the warm bath water. Spencer carefully washed blood from Aaron's face. He asked Aaron to close his eyes, and wiped the dried blood away. He took his hands one at a time, and washed the blood off. It made Spencer cry to see the man he loved so hurt and destroyed, but if he was going to be like this for the rest of his life, he knew he would never abandon him.

"I am so sorry, Babe, if this is hurting you." He put his arms around him and held his wet body close. "I will look after you, I will never leave you."

He saw Aaron was crying again. "I wish I could walk those paths with you, Love. I wish you weren't so alone." He kissed Aaron's fingers.

Spencer moved to the end of the bath and tenderly washed the blood from his feet. He tried not to think about the terror Aaron must have felt to damage his feet and hands like this. A shudder ran through him.

Spencer then washed Aaron's hair. He tilted his head forwards, and carefully washed the blood out of his hair, avoiding the stitched wound at the back.

"Close your eyes, Babe, I don't want to get shampoo in them." He reached for the apple shampoo, and washed Aaron's beautiful dark hair.

"I love you, Aaron. I don't know if you can hear me, or even if you know I'm here. But if you can, I want you to know that I love you."

He rinsed the soap from his hair, and wrapped a towel around it.

"Ok, Babe, I need you to stand up now."

Aaron stood, and Spencer wrapped a towel around him. Aaron stepped out of the bath, and Spencer led him back into the bedroom, and sat him on the bed. Again, he put his arms around him, and pulled his passive body to him. Aaron dried quickly in the warmth of the room, but Spencer still held him, for long after he was dry.

Spencer dried his hair with a hair dryer, and smoothed cream into his broken skin.

"This will help with the healing." he explained. He rubbed Aaron's hands and feet with the cream.

He wasn't sure but he thought maybe, Aaron was moving his fingers in response. Spencer redressed his hands, and put clean PJ's on him. Spencer stood back and looked at him.

He looked like Aaron always looked, except for the eyes. Aaron's eyes were the source of his expressions. Now the sparkle had gone, and although they were open, they were not seeing, and his lovely face was devoid of expression. Spencer tilted his head beck and put the drops in his eyes. The nurse had said they were so dry when they found him, he was in serious danger of loosing them. He was going to need the drops for a long time, until they recovered. Spencer blinked back tears.

He pulled back the cover on the bed and sat Aaron on the edge.

"Lay down, Babe. I'll find a book and read to you."

Aaron lay down on his back, and Spencer covered him. There were no books in the room, except a bible in the drawer next to the bed. Spencer stripped off his clothes, and put on a set of hospital PJ's. He pushed his bed up next to Aaron's and untucked the sheets in between. He slipped across next to Aaron, and put an arm around him, and drew him close. He started reading 'The Song of Solomon' to Aaron, but after a while, he put the book down and recited it from memory. When he had finished, he notice that Aaron had closed his eyes, and seemed to be sleeping. Spencer turned him onto his side, and cuddled up close to him.

Aaron felt the same as he had always done, the musky smell was the same, and his pheromones had the same effect. Spencer pressed his face into the back of Aaron's neck and kissed him with all his love. His skin tasted the same.

"Good night, my Darling." he whispered to him. "I love you."


	11. Setback

Chapter 11

Setback

_**Catalepsy - **__**It is essentially an extreme form of resistive stupor, generally considered to be a defence against the environment or reality. (Farlex Dictionary definition)**_

Spencer woke up the next morning when the birds were welcoming the new day. His chest was hurting him, and he wondered if maybe he'd overdone things the day before. He unwound his arms from the still sleeping Aaron and went to the mirror. He undid the buttons on his shirt, and examined the dressing on his wound. He was concerned that blood had soaked through, and there was even some on his jacket. He felt as if he had been punched in the chest, and bruising had come out around the dressing. With his hand on his chest, he walked painfully back to the bed.

The dawn chorus was one of his favourite sounds, and he wanted to share with Aaron. He knelt beside him and looked over his sleeping lover. Bending down to kiss him, he shook him gently.

"Aaron, wake up, Sweetie." Aaron opened his eyes, but he made no other movement. "Turn onto your back now, Love." He put his hands around his chest, and helped him turn over in the bed. "Listen to the birds singing!" Spencer couldn't tell if he heard or not. He watched Aaron's eyes, hoping to see a spark of recognition. Spencer reached for the eye drops.

"Babe, tilt your head back, I will wet your eyes for you." Aaron's deep dark eyes stared at the ceiling, and Spencer anointed them. "Ok, now blink." Aaron did. It broke Spencer's heart to see him with no self will. It was as if his life force was drained, leaving a shell of the man he had been.

"I know you will come back, Sweetheart. If there's any way you can contact me, I'll be here." Spencer lay down next to him with his arm across Aaron's chest. He felt exhausted, the pain in his chest was giving him a sick headache. He reached for the buzzer with shaking hands and called for the nurse.

He suddenly had a wave of nausea flow over him. He lay still, willing it to pass, knowing that throwing up would really hurt.

The nurse came in. "Are you ok, Dr Reid?"

Spencer was starting to have trouble breathing. "Chest...hurts..." he gasped. He reached for Aaron's hand and squeezed. "C-can't...breathe."

"I'll cal the doctor."

She ran back to the nurses' station and paged the cardiac surgeon, and ran back to Spencer.

He was lying on the bed, gasping for breath, his hand on his chest, the other hanging on to Aaron's hand. His lips were turning blue and his eyes were wide with fear. The doctor crashed through the door. The nurse stepped back and he tapped Spencer's chest.

"Haemothorax!" he said. "Notify OR I'm bringing him up. Find me a gurney." He looked into Spencer's terrified eyes. "Hang on; we're going to help you. I think your aorta is leaking. We need to take a look."

The nurse hurried in with a gurney, and went to the phone on the wall to call the OR. The doctor pulled Spencer across onto the gurney, covered him over, and rushed out of the ward with him.

The nurse put down the phone and turned to Aaron. His hand was hanging out of the bed where Spencer had been pulled away from him. She gently lifted his hand and placed it under the covers.

"Don't be afraid, Aaron. He'll be back soon."

_At least, I hope so..._

-0-0-0-

Morgan called the girls room and they arranged to meet in the foyer of the hotel in an hour. Rossi was in the shower, and Morgan was dressed.

"I'm going down to get something to eat!" he called through the door. "Meet you down there."

He sat on his own for ten minutes, then Emily came and joined him.

"Have you called the hospital?" she asked. When Morgan shook his head, Emily got her mobile out and made the call. Morgan watched her face become frightened as she listened.

"We'll be there as soon as we can." She finished the call and turned to Derek.

"Reid's back in theatre." she said. "Something's gone wrong. We need to be there."

Morgan called the waitress over. "Cancel breakfast, please. We have to go." He called Rossi's mobile while Emily called JJ.

Another stressful drive in the SUV to the hospital. Derek left it in its usual place, and the four of them ran through the reception area to the lifts.

The nurse was expecting them. "Dr Reid has got a bleed into his pleural cavity, putting pressure on his lungs. He is in theatre now, but I expect the doctor to insist he goes into ICU afterwards." she said. "He was very lucky this time. He's been overdoing things."

Morgan was furious. "Why was he left alone to care for Hotch?" he asked. "You knew he was at risk, and yet you left him!"

Rossi put a hand on his arm, and led him to some seats. "Calm down, Derek. We don't want to get thrown out."

Morgan stepped away from Rossi. "I'll go and sit with Hotch."

Aaron was still lying on his back staring towards the ceiling. Derek sat by him and took his hand.

"Hey, Hotch. It's Morgan. Rossi's outside, and Em and JJ. They'll come in in a moment." Morgan felt the familiar tears, and wondered how things could have got this bad. Scarson had been found guilty of eight counts of first degree murder, and Hudson was dead. But it all seemed unfinished somehow. No-one had been arrested for the sniper shot, the ballistics had come up with nothing. He had nothing encouraging to say to Hotch. He rested his head on the bed and cried.

-0-0-0-

Reid began to wake up half way between recovery and the ICU. He looked up at the nurse who was pushing the bed. "What happened?"

"You had a slow aortic bleed. That means bleeding from the artery in your chest. Through the night, blood collected in the chest cavity. It pressed on your lungs, and you couldn't breathe. They drained your chest cavity, and fixed the aorta." She smiled down at him. "You must be one of the luckiest guys alive!"

"Unluckiest, I'd say!" Spencer said ironically. "You taking me back to be with Aaron?"

"You're going to ICU, Dr Reid. We need to keep an eye on you."

"But I need to be..."

"I'm sorry, Dr Reid. You could easily have died, you know. If you had an aneurism and not a slow bleed, you would have died right there in the ward. You wouldn't have had time to even call a nurse." She pressed the button for the lift. "The good news is that Aaron is going to be allowed to sit by your bed."

_Ok, that's fine then. We'll still be together, Babe. I'll still be with you..._

-0-0-0-

Spencer had to lie down, and was threatened with restraints if he didn't comply. He seriously doubted that they would restrain him, but they really meant what they said, so he lay back and worried about Aaron. What help could he possibly be lying flat on his back? They told him it was going to be a little while before they could bring him up to sit with him, so he should get some sleep first. He was tired. Maybe not such a bad idea.

He closed his eyes, and gradually the monitor beeping and other hospital sounds merged into a comforting murmur, and he drifted away.

-0-0-0-

It must have been an hour that Morgan sat there, holding Aaron's hand and crying, when Rossi came in.

"He's out of theatre now. He's going into ICU. We are going to be allowed to take Aaron there. Reid was right; they'll both recover more quickly if they are together."

"Hey, Hotch! Did you hear that? We can take you to see Spencer very soon." He got up and got the folded wheel chair from the corner of the room, and brought it round to beside Aaron. "Ok, mate, time to get up!" He lifted an unresisting Hotch into a sitting position, swung his legs off the bed and stood him up.

"Now Buddy, sit in the chair." Morgan turned Hotch around, and he sat. "Good man." Morgan put a blanket over his knees, and wheeled him out of the room, followed by the others.

Aaron seemed to be looking at his bandaged hands. "They hurting, Hotch? I'll see what I can do about getting some pain meds for you."

Rossi, Emily and JJ went to the cafe to get coffee. They couldn't all go into the ICU. Morgan would take Aaron to Spencer, and then join them.

In the lift, Morgan bent down so that he was level with Hotch. He tilted his head and looked into his dull eyes. "Hotch, you're going to get better. You know that, don't you? This is not permanent." He squeezed his hand. "We're all with you in this, Hotch."

The lift stopped, and Morgan pushed Aaron to the ICU main door. He was looking down at his hands again. "It's ok, Boss-man. I'll get that sorted for you."

He was met at the door by an ICU nurse who was waiting for them.

When they arrived at Spencer's bed, he was asleep. Morgan put the chair as close as he could next to Spence.

"Right, Hotch. I have to leave you here now. Think you'll be ok?"

"I'll watch him. He'll be fine." the nurse said.

Morgan thanked her and left. She looked at the man in the wheel chair and the man on the bed, and said a little prayer in her heart that they would both recover.

"I'll be right over there if you need me, Aaron." Very briefly she stroked his soft hair, and went back to her station.

Spencer was dreaming, and it wasn't a nice dream. Aaron was out of reach and calling to him for help. In his sleep, he became agitated and distressed. He moaned softly as he fought against invisible barriers to reach Aaron. Tears washed his face and his hands searched for comfort. Very slowly, Aaron lifted his head, and his eyes opened in the truest sense.

"Spencey?" His voice hardly more than a breath of air. He reached out his hands to him. Gradually, he stood up on shaking legs. The blanket fell to the floor as he pulled back the cover and slipped into bed beside him.

Spencer instinctively turned onto his side, and Aaron pressed his body into the familiar outline of Spencer's body and nuzzled his hair. He reached an arm around him.

"Don't be afraid, Spencey. I'm here." he whispered softly. "I love you."

-0-0-0-

**END**


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